A widely ised miniaturized coaxial cable made to have characteristics to allow signal transmission to propagate at high speeds includes a foamed dielectric core which is of necessity, for electrical reasons, as close to air as possible in terms of dielectric constant and velocity of propagation. This is accomplished by foaming or injecting air or causing air to be entrapped in a matrix of plastic materials such as Teflon or polyolefin or other low dielectric constant materials. As a direct result, the dielectric core material has little structural strength, is easily deformed and damaged, and is both delicate and fragile. In typical cable constructions, this core is extruded or wrapped around a signal conductor with a drain or ground wire laid thereover and that assembly wrapped or covered with a metallized plastic film or foil which in turn is covered with an outer protective jacket. The foam core supports the signal conductor through its center, and the ground wire, foil and outer jacket are coaxially positioned therearound.
In order to terminate such cable to appropriate coaxial connectors, the cable must be stripped so as to expose the signal and ground conductors for manipulation and termination to the signal and ground elements of a given connector. Stripping of such cable has proven to be difficult due to the fact that the foam core offers no backup against which stripping blades can be applied with the result that the outer jacket and foil are not adequately penetrated, in turn resulting in ripping or displacements and in general, very unsatisfactory stripping. Alternatively, with sufficiently sharp stripping blades and pressure in accordance with prior art practice, the outer jacket and foam may be severed, but frequently the ground wire which rests beneath the foil is also severed or worse yet, nicked, so that it may fail during manipulation and use thereafter. Additionally, prior efforts have required a precision orientation of the cable ground wire relative to stripping blades.